Every concrete slab, wall, and column on a commercial jobsite hides something: rebar, post-tension cables, electrical conduit, plumbing, or voids. Cut or core blind and you are gambling with your schedule, your budget, and your crew's safety. At Reliable Concrete LLC we scan before we cut on every structural job across the Gulf Coast — and here is why you should insist on the same.
What concrete scanning actually finds
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) sends a radar pulse into the concrete and reads the reflections that bounce back off embedded objects. A trained operator can map:
- ▸Rebar — size, spacing, and depth of the reinforcing mat
- ▸Post-tension (PT) cables — the high-tension steel tendons in suspended decks
- ▸Electrical conduit and data lines — often live
- ▸Plumbing and drainage — cast iron, PVC, and copper
- ▸Voids and slab thickness — so you know what you are cutting into
All of it without a single hole, no radiation, and no need to evacuate the area.
The six-figure mistake
The most expensive thing you can hit is a post-tension cable. PT tendons are tensioned to tens of thousands of pounds of force. Cut one and it can recoil violently, fail the structural design of the deck, and trigger an engineering investigation that stops the entire project for weeks. The repair bill routinely runs into six figures.
Hitting a live electrical conduit is cheaper to fix but far more dangerous — it can injure or kill the operator. Hitting plumbing floods the floor below. None of these are acceptable risks when a scan takes a fraction of the time and cost.
GPR vs X-ray
The old way of imaging concrete was X-ray. It works, but it is slow, requires evacuating the work area, needs access to both sides of the slab, and brings radiation safety requirements with it. GPR scanning is:
- ▸Non-destructive and radiation-free — scan in occupied hospitals, casinos, and active plants without shutting anything down
- ▸Single-sided — you only need access to one face of the concrete
- ▸Real-time — we mark findings directly on the deck so your crew can adjust immediately
When a scan is non-negotiable
On any structural slab, suspended deck, or post-tensioned member, scanning is not optional. We scan before every core on PT decks as standard practice. The same goes for wall openings, where embedded rebar mats, PT bands, and conduit chases are easy to miss.
If you are planning a cut, a core, or an anchor on the Gulf Coast and want it done right the first time, request a quote or call Rocky directly. We scan because it is the only responsible way to cut concrete.
Need concrete cutting or scanning?
Talk to Rocky directly for a fast, accurate quote across the Gulf Coast.
